Collected Strands improvisation quartet
Features Leah Roseman, violin; Raphael Weinroth-Browne, cello; James McGowan, piano; and Mike Essoudry, drums. The videos capture moments from a few different concerts at the National Arts Centre, in Ottawa. We released three volumes of live performances, released in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
Modasaurus jazz-fusion quartet
In the height of the pandemic, Modasaurus finally gave a live-streamed CD release concert for the album 4K. Check out our two albums in the /recordings section. Modasaurus forms the rhythm core of the larger James McGowan Ensemble with the Reaching In/Reaching Out, Threads of Fate, and New Life projects.
Michael Curtis Hanna and James McGowan
Michael Curtis Hanna and James have collaborated with spiritual jazz performances, especially in the Knox Presbyterian Jazz Vespers series. A special feature of this partnership is the Jazz-Psalms project, where we transform jazz standards into contemplative settings for contemporary adaptations of the psalms.
Contrapuntal compositions
O Canada Double Fugue, composed and performed by James McGowan. There is also an Orchestral version performed by the Rocky Mountain Symphony Orchestra, and an Organ version performed by Ernest Ruppenthal. Other fugues and similar works are available on James' YouTube channel.
Dong-Won Kim and James McGowan
Korean percussionist Dong-Won Kim recorded a live freely improvised concert with James in 2016, leading to the release of the album Over the Mountain. We gave a CD release concert in January 2018 with Jesse Stewart, who also recorded a CD with Dong-Won.